Out There Blog

Ever wanted to live like a movie star? Well now you can lunch where Linda lunched and hide-out where Hoges hid out. Famous actor Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) is selling the 326-acre property where he married co-star Linda Kozlowski in 1990. The property, a magnificent South American style home, formerly the Hogans’ Australian base, has been on and off the market over the years. But it is now definitely “on the market” – that is, if you have £3.64million burning a hole in your pocket!

If you’re wondering where to put your aging mother-in-law, or how to keep the teenagers out of your hair, or if you just fancy a bit of extra space for yourself, then this is the home for you. The primary residence offers two spacious bedroom suites, two fully self-contained guest quarters, a resort pool with gazebo, a gymnasium and spectacular outdoor and indoor entertaining areas. There is also a separate manager’s residence and guest cottage for those pesky out of town relatives. It’s an entertainer’s paradise and very private, just what you need to keep the paparazzi at bay.

The property is known as Cedar Springs and is located just 15 minutes from Byron Bay, the beautiful beach town at the eastern-most point of Australia. The property has been listed our sister website realestate.com.au by exclusive agent Simon Kersten of Kersten Realty Pty Ltd.

This elegant and secluded home is one of the most beautiful in the area. It’s been a fantastic home for Paul and Linda, however, it’s just not being used any more. The home has been decorated in a stylish and sophisticated manner; Linda really does have superb taste.

So, if you’re ready for a sea-change, or just have a little spare change, why not consider this property as part of your portfolio!

Posted by Bronwyn at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With Halloween upon us, it seems that many people out there are harbouring spooky secrets, and sharing their homes with ghostly figures, both of the friendly and unfriendly kind. Here are a few of your stories, but please keep them coming in to marketing@propertyfinder.com, or include your comments below.

Confusing incident with the frying fish
David in Scotland
My story is not so much terrifying as confusing. I don't believe in ghosts and never have done. However, I cannot explain what happened.

My wife and I live in a 300+ year old modernised cottage in what used to be a traditional fishing village in the north east of Scotland. Folk who lived here led frugal lives, totally dependant on the sea for their livelihoods. They would be entirely self-sufficient, baking their own bread and consuming a great deal of fish as there main dietary staple.

One night at about 03:00am my wife woke me to tell me that she was experiencing a strong smell of bread being baked. I made light of her observation, saying that no one in the neighbourhood would be baking bread at this hour, and we wouldn't be able to smell it through our three foot thick walls anyway. I paid a visit to the bathroom to be met by an almost overpowering smell of frying fish!

Jan has had two experiences of living in haunted houses.
Moving objects
The first flat my ex-husband and I had when we got married in the late 60's, was above an old shop in London. It had one bedroom, which had been made by dividing a large room into bedroom and lounge. Although the flat was very small and heated well as soon as you walked into the bedroom it was like a fridge - icy cold. When we used to go out things would be moved from one place to another. We tested this on several occasions. We would purposely leaving things, like a hair brush on the mantelpiece and come back to find it on the coffee table. This happened many times while we were there. Although we never felt threatened or ill at ease in the flat.

The people who lived downstairs were an elderly father who had owned the house for many years and his married daughter, her husband and two sons. The father had always rented out the top part of the house. One night while my ex-husband I were in bed, we were woken, we are not sure how, to find an old woman, dressed all in black old fashioned clothes, standing at the bottom of bed in front of the window. What was strange as well, is that around her was a illuminated, giving the room quite a bit of light although it was about 3.00am in the morning. There were no street lights near the house and it was pitch dark outside. Neither of us were able to speak or move. This was probably due to fear of the unknown. She then just faded away. We joked about in the morning saying we both had the same dream.

We initially said nothing to anyone but a few weeks later I was having coffee with the girl downstairs and jokingly told her what had happened. Immediately she asked me to describe the woman. She then said than many years ago, when she was a child and living in the house with just her parents, the flat was rented to an old woman in her 70's fitting that description. The old woman had got to the stage where she couldn't look after herself and eventually was taken into care although she did not want to go.

As this happened about 35 years before we lived in the flat, we can only presume that she had decided to revisit her old home that night. Her visit obviously satisfied her curiosity because she never visited us again.

Posted by Bronwyn at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Estate agents and sellers aren't obliged to tell you that a property is rumoured to be haunted, so if you want to be sure that you won't be sharing your new home with the ghosts of its former tenants, you need to ask the right questions. Warren Bright, CEO of Propertyfinder.com, agrees that ghostly sightings could affect a house's price.

"Whenever there's uncertainty about a house, its contents and structure - and I think a ghost would come under that category - it detracts from its saleability and therefore might adversely affect the value".

If you're buying a more modest property, you might not get to read up on its history in the local paper before you buy. Anyone concerned about living somewhere with a sinister past needs to find out a property's history before finalising a deal, since the doctrine of caveat emptor - or buyer beware - applies to homes.

There is no general requirement for the estate agent or seller to disclose specific information about a property's history unless asked, but the Property Misdescriptions Act of 1991 makes it an offence for them to make false or misleading statements. The onus is on the buyer to ask about the property's history and the seller to disclose the information accurately.

However, when it comes to ghostly goings on, there are some grey areas. Standard precontract enquiry forms include the question: "Is there any other information you think the buyer may have a right to know?" The problem with this question, says Mark Pawlowski, professor of law at Greenwich University, is that it's pretty subjective. "If the seller honestly believes the purchaser doesn't need to know about something, he's off the hook," he explains. This would be problematic if a buyer tried to sue over a haunting, which one person believes exists, and another doesn't. As Pawlowski points out, a purchaser would have some difficulty proving in a court of law that a house is haunted.

So buyers concerned about ending up in a "horror house" must ask very specific questions. You might feel a bit foolish demanding to know if there have been any stories or rumours about ghosts or murders in the house, but if finding this out after you've moved in would have you running for the door, it's vital that you ask. Getting these questions answered is the only way a purchaser would have a case for non-disclosure. Bright suggests broaching the subject verbally at first then following it up in writing.

House clearances
So what do you do if you own a house that's haunted and you're concerned that supernatural goings on could put off buyers? You could try to get rid of your ghostly problem. Ralph Keeton, of www.exorcisms.co.uk says he's seen a surge in the number of homeowners asking for their properties to be exorcised. His "modern approach" sees him treating ghosts as individuals, and he has a rather pragmatic technique, which seems to involve a sit-down and a chat. Some of his exorcisms are over and done with in 20 minutes. Keeton says he doesn't charge those genuinely in need, doing it instead "to help people" although he does have his expenses covered and accepts gifts.

Source: The Guardian 

Posted by Bronwyn at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you are interested in fresh, limited edition pop art on your wall from new, favorite, and cutting edge artists (accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist) then here is the website you might be interested in.

Pop Cling reproduces adhesive-backed art. You peel it off and stick the image on any smooth surface, such as concrete floors, or the sliding glass door leading to your balcony, or on your shower door, or right on the wall behind your couch.

Posted by Bronwyn at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)